His Bride, Not By Choice

CHAPTER3

Get Pregnant For Him

Anne's POV

I found myself standing there, completely frozen, trying to understand and make sense of what had just taken place around me.

It was as if time had slowed down and every single moment was stretching out, allowing me to really feel the whirlwind of emotions rushing through my mind and my heart.

This peculiar man, who felt so strange and unsafe to me, was urging me to follow him.

But with everything that had just happened, I was not foolish enough to ignore the fact that following him could lead me straight into deep, serious trouble.

My instincts shouted at me to run away, to escape from whatever danger he represented.

Just as I was about to turn and sprint away, his voice, icy and unsettling, cut through the stillness. He said, “I won’t save you this time, Ophelia.”

The sound of my name escaping his lips sent a wave of shock through me, leaving me startled for what felt like such a long time.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “How does this man know my name?” The mere thought of this connection left me feeling incredibly confused and utterly terrified.

My mind raced as I tried to comprehend the implications of his words.

He must have noticed the bewildering look on my face because he asked me, “Are you wondering how I figured out that you aren’t Anne?”

His question nearly made me lose my footing; the ground felt unsteady beneath me, as if the world had shifted on its axis in an instant.

“Anne is dead,” I replied, my voice dripping with a frozen intensity, a warning woven into my words. I could feel the weight of that truth heavy in the air between us.

He nodded knowingly and, with a smirk that made my skin crawl, moved towards a car waiting nearby.

In a heartbeat, I instinctively trailed behind him, no longer sure if my decision was dictated by curiosity or fear.

As we drove along in silence, the tension hung thick in the air, wrapping around us like an unwelcome fog.

It was uncomfortable, and I felt a jolt of courage within me, urging me to break that silence.

I finally spoke up, “Anne is my twin sister,” I said quietly, unsure of where this conversation might lead but feeling the need to share a piece of my life.

In response, he simply hummed, as if my words were just sounds rather than significant truths. I felt a wave of frustration wash over me.

“We were the only ones who knew this secret, so how could you possibly know about it?” I pressed, my heart racing with a mix of fear and urgency.

His answer was vague and evasive. “I have my ways,” he said, making me chew on my fingers nervously, trying to quell the anxious thoughts swirling in my head.

Suddenly, his tone shifted, and he told me, “Don’t go to that party.”

A chill settled in my bones at his words, as though he had cast a dark shadow over my hopes.

“You don’t get to decide for me,” I responded, my voice tinged with sadness, reflecting on my loneliness and the memories of a past when I felt like a girl lost in the world, working tirelessly day and night just to survive, yearning for companionship.

I wanted to reach out, to connect with others despite the dangers, but his warning hung between us like a storm cloud, making me doubt my choices and my longing for friendship.

After what felt like a really long time of driving, he finally pulled up to my parents' house, a place that felt both familiar and strange.

He stopped the car for just a moment, but then he drove away so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance to say a single word. It was like he vanished without a trace.

My thoughts were all jumbled and swirled up in my head, still feeling heavy and confused.

The only two people who knew about that important secret were Anne and me.

I had promised Anne with all my heart that I would never tell a single soul about it, no matter what happened.

As I got closer to my parents' apartment, I could hear the sounds of life and activity coming from inside.

Those noises were so loud that they felt like they might make my heart jump right out of my chest.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping inside with some trepidation.

My parents were in the room, completely unaware of the sorrow they carried, not knowing that one of their daughters had passed away without their knowledge.

I felt weary as I made my way towards my room, trying to escape from everything for just a moment.

But then I heard my mom's icy voice calling me back, and it froze me in my tracks.

I turned around, feeling an unfamiliar fear creeping into my heart. I had always encountered suffering, but never had I been treated this poorly.

“Where did you find that dress?!” my mother asked in a hurried tone.

She quickly walked over to me, inspecting the dress like it was something precious. My heart sank as I whispered a curse to myself, fully aware that I shouldn’t have brought it into the house with me.

“Answer me right now!” she shouted, her eyes shining with a greedy light that made me shiver.

“I don’t know; someone left it for me in the restroom,” I tried to explain, my voice shaky and small.

“In the restroom?” she repeated in disbelief, but then a smile crept across her face, a sly smirk that made my stomach twist.

“Mr. Miller is ready to pay us if you pretend to be his fiancée for just two months,” she said, and I could feel my eyes widening with surprise and fear.

“Mum, you know I can’t do that,” I said, my voice afraid and trembling. But instead of listening, she made my heart skip a beat by slapping my face hard.

“You ungrateful child! Why can’t you just do what I ask? You will do anything and everything I want you to do!

“You’re also going to give him a child so that you will be stuck with him forever.

We need to become inlaws with rich people,” she said with an unsettling smile on her face, as if that made everything okay.

I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, unsure of what to do next.